Required in stage
Optional in stage
Not organised
This year
Next year
Alternating years
External
Prerequisites
Identical coursesSetting Up a Research Project (B-KUL-I0I60A)
English
8 
Both terms
Cannot be taken as part of an examination contractCannot be taken as part of a credit contract
Toorman Erik (coordinator) | Diels Jan | Gobin Anne | Huysmans Marijke | N. Aims
Students will learn how to define and set up a thesis research project. Guided by their promoter, they will conduct a thorough literature study of their thesis research topic, write a problem statement, define research objectives, and design a research methodology. During the first semester, 4 seminars address the various aspects of the thesis research. Based on this, students will submit a 5 to 10 pages written report and present their thesis research proposal at the end of the June examination session.
The aim is that students can:
- synthesize and critically reflect on the scientific literature relevant for their thesis research project,
- write an academic text in a scientifically sound way,
- design their research methods and plan their research activities, and
- present their research proposal to their peers, both in written and oral form.
- The student maintains/acquires awareness of the plagiarism and GenAI use policy of KU Leuven and the faculty.
Previous knowledge
none
Order of Enrolment
This course unit is a prerequisite for taking the following course units:
I0S76A : Thesis Research Project Water Resources Engineering
I0S78A : Research Methods for Data Collection and Processing
Identical courses
This course is identical to the following courses:
I0S77A : Setting Up Research Project (No longer offered this academic year)
Is included in these courses of study
Activities
1.5 ects. Scientific Reporting and Consulting Scientific Literature (B-KUL-I0I60a)
EnglishFormat: Lecture8 
First termDiels Jan | Gobin Anne | Huysmans Marijke | N. Content
Students attend 5 seminars that cover the following general aspects:
- Literature reference management; plagiarism and how to avoid it
- Structure of a scientific research paper and a master thesis
- Sources of scientific information; literature search
- Writing a scientific text
- Presentation and plotting skills
Students will write a short literature review considering the above mentioned aspects and receive individual feedback.
Course material
More information is provided in the Toledo community “Information Literacy Tutorial” (C-5573273-K). Students can subscribe to this tutorial through the Toledo E-learning platform.
1.5 ects. Setting up a Research Project (B-KUL-I0I61a)
EnglishFormat: Assignment
Second termN. Content
The promoter/supervisor explains what is expected in terms of self-study by the student, i.e. definition of hypothesis, goal of thesis, choice of research methods, work plan, etc. He/she will also explain how to organise and implement a literature study. The student regularly meets with the supervisor/promoter to discuss progress and receive feedback.
The students will maintain/acquire awareness of plagiarism and GenAI by using the Toledo tutorial "Information literacy KU Leuven libraries (Science and Technology)" (NL/EN) and testing it. The test is not compulsory.
Course material
Instructions on how to write the dissertation are available on the following website: www.iupware.be.
For literature search students can use tools as the Web of Science or Google Scholar
Evaluation
Evaluation: Setting Up a Research Project (B-KUL-I2I60a)
Explanation
The grading scale of this course unit is pass/fail.
The evaluation is based on a written report and an oral presentation as follows:
Written report: During the second semester the student prepares a report of 5 to 10 pages with the following structure/content:
- Title of the research
- Problem statement based on a (preliminary) literature review
- Objective of the research
- Research methodology
The student brings the report, signed by the promoter(s) for approval, to the oral examination session
Oral presentation: PowerPoint presentation of the planned research (5 to 10 minutes) at the end of the June examination session
The research proposal and presentation have to demonstrate that the student achieved the aims of this course unit. The proposal and presentation have to show that the student has studied and reviewed the state of the art on the topic in the scientific literature, and has developed the objectives of the thesis research and methods in sufficient detail to be able to start the thesis research.The evaluators are: Promoter (approval of the written report), and one member from the Steering Committee (evaluation of the oral presentation).
This OLA is evaluated as pass/fail:
- Pass: the student is allowed to defend the Thesis Research Project
- Fail: the student has to repeat the examination before he/she is allowed to defend the Thesis Research Project
The study points are attributed to "Thesis Research Project" (I0S76A), but we will use a bonus/malus system as follows:
- Students who present a very good research proposal will earn a bonus of +0.5 that will be added to the final mark (given on a total of 20) they receive for their thesis (Thesis Research Project, I0S76A).
- For students who meet the formal requirements but whose proposal is poor and for students who are absent during some of the seminars (without valid reason verified by the ombuds person) we will subtract 0.5 from the final mark (given on a total of 20) they receive for their thesis (Thesis Research Project, I0S76A)